JPH0566142B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a sterilization method and apparatus.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, when hydrogen peroxide was used to sterilize or sterilize packaging materials such as containers, it was usually done by dipping or spraying.

Furthermore, vaporizing spray has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-220067.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) If the packaging material is in a sheet-like or similar state, after dipping or spraying, the droplets of hydrogen peroxide adhering to the packaging material may be removed using hot air or other means. However, if the shape of the packaging material is deep or complicated, the immersion method may not be able to remove hydrogen peroxide from the surface of the packaging material after sterilization. With the method of spraying, it is possible to apply hydrogen peroxide to the bottom, but when applying hydrogen peroxide to the sides, take into consideration the drying method, and if you apply hydrogen peroxide evenly and sterilize it, hydrogen peroxide will accumulate on the bottom of the container and prevent overheating. Evaporative drying of hydrogen oxide takes too much time.

Therefore, a vaporizing spray as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-220067 has been proposed. According to this, it is possible to create a gaseous state of hydrogen peroxide, so that a small amount of hydrogen peroxide can be quickly and uniformly applied even if the shape of the container is complicated.

However, according to the above method, since hydrogen peroxide is sprayed with a spray nozzle, a pressurizing device for hydrogen peroxide is required, and a spray chamber is also required, which does not simplify the device and causes problems such as clogging of the nozzle and There are process problems such as spray hunting.
Furthermore, the amount of hydrogen peroxide consumed is large.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to completely sterilize objects to be sterilized regardless of their shape, and to shorten the drying time while consuming less hydrogen peroxide. The technical means of the present invention, which aims to provide a sterilization method and device and solves this technical problem, is as follows.

In other words, when vaporizing hydrogen peroxide, the temperature is 130℃~
A hydrogen peroxide solution is dropped onto the evaporation surface of a heating element heated to a temperature of 180°C in the form of droplets that can be instantaneously vaporized and dropped, preferably having a diameter of 1 to 3 mm. The hydrogen peroxide gas generated in this way is heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the temperature of the evaporation surface, and the vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas is heated to the same temperature as the evaporation surface. It is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized while maintaining the vaporization temperature through a guide tube heated to approximately the same temperature or higher, and after condensing on the surface of the object and sterilizing it, it is sterilized by hot air. The first invention is to remove hydrogen oxide, and the second invention is to further apply ultraviolet irradiation in an undried state coated with hydrogen peroxide.

Then, a hydrogen peroxide liquid quantitative supply device, a heating element having an evaporation surface heated to a temperature that minimizes decomposition during vaporization of hydrogen peroxide, and a heating element that instantaneously vaporizes the hydrogen peroxide liquid toward the evaporation surface. a dripping device that drips droplets of a droplet size that is possible and that can be dropped;
A transport air supply device that supplies transport air heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature toward the evaporation surface, and a transport air supply device that supplies vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas to the surface of the object to be sterilized. The third invention provides an induction device that is heated to a temperature substantially equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature for inducing the vaporization while maintaining the vaporization temperature.

The size of the droplet dropped in the first invention is
Diameter 1 large enough to instantly vaporize and drip
~3mm is good. That is, if the particle size is larger than this, the temperature of the heating surface decreases, the evaporation efficiency decreases, and the decomposition rate increases. Also, when using a dripping nozzle, it is difficult to form droplets smaller than this diameter.
(Even if the nozzle diameter is made smaller, the liquid cannot drip due to surface tension and adheres to the tip of the nozzle.) Also, when a two-fluid nozzle is used, the amount of liquid sprayed is too large and the nozzle becomes clogged. There are also products that use ultrasonic waves to atomize, but in this case the particles are too small to float and drop onto the evaporation surface.

The temperature of the evaporation surface is set at 130°C or higher, preferably 140°C or higher, in order to minimize decomposition and minimize the time required for evaporation at the temperature when vaporizing hydrogen peroxide.
180℃ is good. That is, the decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide is high even at temperatures below 140°C or above 180°C, and is particularly high at low temperatures, making it impractical.

The evaporation surface transfers the heat generated by the heating element using a heat transfer element with high thermal conductivity or a heat transfer mechanism such as a heat pipe, so that the heat distribution becomes uniform.

Grooves, partitions, wire mesh, etc. are placed on the evaporation surface to prevent dropped droplets from moving on the surface and colliding with each other to form large particles, and to further promote evaporation, It is preferable to blow the conveying air from the horizontal direction (the vaporization efficiency is higher in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction).

At this time, most of the heat required for vaporization is supplied from the evaporation surface, and the carrier air quickly carries away the generated gas, thins the boundary layer on the surface of the droplet, and promotes vaporization.

The temperature of the conveying air is preferably approximately equal to or higher than the temperature of the heating element so as not to lower the temperature of the generated gas.

The flow rate of the conveying air is controlled to be minimized as much as possible within a range where the mixed gas of hydrogen peroxide gas and the conveying air is approximately 140°C to 200°C.

This is because when the amount of conveying air increases, the dew condensation point lowers and the efficiency of condensation on the surface of the object to be sterilized decreases, so although it is better to have a smaller amount of conveying air, it is a problem if there is no conveying capacity.

Therefore, the amount of air is controlled to be the minimum amount of air necessary for the conveying device.

The guide tube that guides the mixed gas to the surface of the object to be sterilized is similarly heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature. Therefore, 140℃~180℃
is preferred.

Further, in the first aspect of the invention, the hydrogen peroxide gas condensed on the surface of the object to be sterilized is very small and is evenly distributed, so it can be dried and removed very easily.

Therefore, in the second invention, in order to obtain a high synergistic effect when used in combination with ultraviolet rays, it is necessary to irradiate ultraviolet rays at the same time as condensation, and it is better not to use hot air or cold air.

Generally, the disinfecting power of hydrogen peroxide is controlled by concentration and temperature, and can be activated by increasing the temperature.

Therefore, in the present invention, hydrogen peroxide gas maintained at a temperature higher than the condensation temperature is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized, thereby causing the hydrogen peroxide gas to condense on the surface of the object to be sterilized at a temperature below the condensation temperature. The gasified hydrogen peroxide gas is applied to the packaging material surface in a smaller particle size than the atomized spray, and moreover, it is condensed and applied in a highly concentrated state through the condensation process described later, so the sterilizing power increases. Therefore, the amount of hydrogen peroxide consumed can be reduced, and only the required amount can be applied to the surface of the packaging material, making it possible to shorten the drying time. The above condensation process will be explained in detail as follows.

Figure 1 shows the evaporation characteristics of hydrogen peroxide at 760 mmHg and the gas composition curve of the hydrogen peroxide gas generated at that time, where the vertical axis shows the equilibrium temperature of the liquid phase and the gas phase, and the horizontal axis shows the The weight % and mole fraction of the hydrogen peroxide solution are shown below.The concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution will be described in weight % below. Also, for the sake of convenience only in the explanation shown in _{FIG .}
Curve A in FIG. 1 shows the boiling point of the H ₂ O ₂ +H ₂ O solution due to changes in concentration, and curve B shows the gas composition at that boiling point.

Generally, a solution consists of two liquids with different boiling point temperatures (condensation temperatures), especially a H ₂ O ₂ solution.
A mixed liquid such as H ₂ O and H ₂ O ₂ , and the boiling point is H ₂ O ₂
> In the case of a solution with conditions of H ₂ O, relatively
H ₂ O starts to evaporate before H ₂ O ₂ , and condensation starts first with H ₂ O ₂ .

Looking at the gas composition at the boiling point C of 35% H ₂ O ₂ , that is, 108° C., from FIG. 1, the H ₂ O ₂ gas concentration is 8% at the E point.

That is, the gas composition in equilibrium with the liquid phase at a temperature of 108° C. has a H ₂ O ₂ concentration of 8%.

In addition, when the concentration of H ₂ O ₂ solution is 71%, evaporation starts at point F, that is, 127°C. At that time, the gas composition in equilibrium with the liquid phase is 35% H ₂ O ₂ .

Therefore, assuming that the 35% H ₂ O ₂ solution does not decompose and the entire amount is vaporized, the concentration of the gas composition will also be
At 35%, when it is cooled down, it reaches point D, which is 127
The liquid phase concentration, that is, the H ₂ O ₂ solution concentration that is in equilibrium with the gas composition of 35% concentration at °C is 71%.

In other words, if a fully gasified 35% hydrogen peroxide solution is cooled and condensed, the condensate concentration at the beginning of condensation will be 71%, resulting in a highly concentrated condensate. From this, it can be seen that sterilization using this highly concentrated condensate has a high sterilization effect because the sterilization effect of hydrogen peroxide is controlled by concentration and temperature.

In this way, the present invention attempts to perform high-concentration sterilization by condensing hydrogen peroxide gas at an early stage, and the condensed hydrogen peroxide solution forms a thin film on the surface of the packaging material. It can be attached to the skin and have a bactericidal effect.

That is, by going through the process of vaporization → condensation, it is possible to condense hydrogen peroxide on the surface of the object to be sterilized at a concentration higher than that of the hydrogen peroxide solution used.

Furthermore, since the condensed hydrogen peroxide is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized in a gaseous state, it is easy to uniformly distribute it in a thin film even if the surface shape is complex, and therefore it can be easily removed by drying. It's extremely easy.

In addition, if ultraviolet irradiation is used in combination, it is possible to form a thin hydrogen peroxide film, thereby increasing the permeability of hydrogen peroxide for reasons described below, thereby increasing the bactericidal power.

According to the evaporation device of the present invention, since no spray nozzle is used, a pressurizing device for hydrogen peroxide is not required, and a spray chamber is not required, so the entire device is simplified. Furthermore, there are no process problems such as nozzle clogging or spray hunting.

(Example) First, a hydrogen peroxide generator will be explained. That is, the hydrogen peroxide generating device of the present invention comprises a hydrogen peroxide solution quantitative supply section a, a conveying air supply section b, a heating section c, a droplet particle removal section d, and a hydrogen peroxide gas guide section e.

FIG. 2 shows a flat plate heating type, and FIG. 3 shows a flowing down heating type. In Figs. 2 and 3, 1 is a hydrogen peroxide solution tank, 2 is a metering pump for hydrogen peroxide supply, and 3 is a dripping nozzle, which constitute a hydrogen peroxide solution metering supply part a. ing.

It is thought that the hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate during heating vaporization is influenced by the temperature of the heating surface of the heating element.

Therefore, it is necessary to stabilize the supply rate of the hydrogen peroxide solution to the heating surface and stabilize the temperature of the heating surface for vaporization. This is because when the amount of liquid supplied changes, the amount of heat supplied to the heating element changes, and the heating temperature changes.

Regarding the size of the droplets to be supplied, the smaller the droplets, the easier the vaporization, but they do not have to be particularly atomized, and preferably have a diameter of 1 to 3 mm that allows for droplets to be dropped within a range that does not hinder vaporization. good.

In practical terms, currently used spray nozzles (one-fluid or two-fluid nozzles) with small spray volumes tend to clog easily, and spray nozzles require pressurization of the liquid, making them difficult to handle. However, in consideration of these points, this device uses a small volume supply type metering pump and uses a dropping nozzle to stably supply droplets of about 1 to 3 mm.

Next, in FIGS. 2 and 3, 4 is a sterile air pipe for conveyance, 5 is a heater for the air, and 6 is its outlet, which constitute the conveyance air supply section b. .

This conveying air supply part b promotes the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide on the heating surface, and also has high temperature (140~180℃).
In order to guide the hydrogen peroxide gas (℃) to the surface of the object to be sterilized, the conveying air is heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the steam surface temperature described later, for example, 140 to 180℃.
Heat to a moderate temperature.

Furthermore, in order to promote vaporization, the air outlet in FIG. 2 is designed to blow air approximately parallel to the vaporizing surface.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, 7 and 8 are a heat source block and a heat transfer block, respectively, and the one in FIG. 3 uses a heat pipe.

Further, 9 is a stainless wire mesh, which is stretched over the heat transfer block 8 in FIG. 2 and on the inner surface of the double-tube heat pipes 7 and 8 in FIG. 3. Above 7,
8 and 9 constitute a heating section c, which constitutes a heat supply section and an evaporation surface. The heat supply section consists of a heat generation source and a heat transfer section. The heat generation section can be an electric heater, steam, flame, or the like, but one with good temperature control is used. The heat transfer part requires a material or structure with high thermal conductivity, and the thermal response is improved by using metals such as copper or aluminum or heat pipes.

The evaporation surface must be made of a non-corrosive material such as stainless steel, and the spheroidal phenomenon of droplets generated on the evaporation surface prevents droplets that are difficult to evaporate from colliding with each other and becoming large particles. Multi-layered stainless wire mesh 9 is used as a mechanism to prevent movement.

In any case, the temperature of the evaporation surface is heated to a temperature that minimizes decomposition during vaporization of hydrogen peroxide, for example, 130°C or higher, preferably 140°C to 180°C.

FIG. 5 shows the evaporation time of water and 35% hydrogen peroxide against the evaporation surface temperature, and shows that the above-mentioned temperatures are appropriate.

In addition, the decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 35% is 17-18
%.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, 11 is a filter provided on the way from the vaporization chamber 10 to the guide tube 12, and constitutes a droplet particle removal section d.

If vaporization occurs quickly, no droplet particles are generated, but
If the amount of conveying air increases or if a spherodal phenomenon occurs on the heated surface, entrainment of droplets may occur. In order to prevent this, a droplet filtering ring 11 is provided.

Next, the guide pipe 12 has a heat source 13 for the guide pipe, and its outlet constitutes a sterilization treatment section using hydrogen peroxide gas.

The generated hydrogen peroxide gas is transferred to vaporization chamber 1.
It becomes a gas at about 140°C to 180°C within 0°C, and is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized by a heated guide tube. At this time, in order to prevent the hydrogen peroxide gas from condensing, the guide tube is heated to a temperature that is approximately equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature, for example, 140 to 180°C.

In addition, 16 in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates the vaporization chamber 10.
17 in FIG. 3 is a fin for promoting vaporization.

According to the above-described apparatus, hydrogen peroxide is dropped onto the heat transfer body in fixed amounts and vaporized. The vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas is conveyed by conveying air, droplets are removed by a filter, and then supplied to the packaging surface from a heated induction tube. Drainage is prevented and hydrogen peroxide gas is heated to 140-180℃.

In addition, the gas temperature of hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 35% is 170°C.
Assuming that the surface temperature of the container, which is the object to be sterilized, is 25℃,
A condensed concentration of hydrogen peroxide of 55% was achieved.

In addition, according to this device, since the hydrogen peroxide is vaporized, the particle size becomes even smaller than that of atomized spray, which makes it easier to remove.
It can be completely removed in 5 seconds at ℃. Atomization spraying takes 10 seconds at 120°C.

The one shown in FIG. 4 is an aseptic filling and packaging machine using a hydrogen peroxide generator as shown in FIG.

The aseptic filling and packaging machine has a container supply section A, a container sterilization section B, a sterilizing liquid drying section C, a filling section D, a lid sealing section E, a lid supply section F, a lid drying section G, a punching section H, and a product discharge section. It consists of Part I. The containers W are vertically stacked and held in the collection holding frame 18, and are fed to a chain conveyor 20 in the sterile chamber 19 by a feeding device (not shown).

The above is the container supply section A, and the containers W supplied to the chain conveyor 20 are guided to the next container sterilization section B.

Here, gas from the aforementioned hydrogen peroxide gas generator is applied toward the container. The coated condensation surface is irradiated with ultraviolet light using an irradiator (not shown). Ultraviolet irradiation is performed in the pre-process of the next drying section.

The drying section is configured to introduce sterile heated air from a conduit 21 into an air box 22 and inject it from above and below toward the container from a nozzle port 23.

Once the sterilizing liquid has been dried off, the container W is then sent to the filling section D.

In the filling section D, contents such as completely sterilized food are transferred from the tank 24 to the nozzle 26 via the valve 25.
It is then sent to the factory and filled into containers in a fixed amount.

Next, the lid material of the container W is pulled out from the reel 27, passes through a tension roller, is sterilized with a sterilizing agent in a sterilizing tank 28, and then reaches a drying section G via a turn roller.
In the drying section G, sterile drying air is blown from the nozzle 29 to completely dry the material. After passing through the sealing part turn roller, it is sealed by the sealing device 30 of the sealing part E, then punched out by the next punching device 31, and the punched lid material is wound up by the reel 32.
The finished product is lifted out of the sterile chamber by a lifting device 33 in the product discharge section I, and
It is discharged.

When used in combination with ultraviolet rays, that is, UV rays, there is a sufficient synergistic effect even if the hydrogen peroxide solution used is about 5% by weight. As for the combination of hydrogen peroxide droplets and UV rays, the method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-500058 has been proposed, but this method uses 0.1% to 1%
The use of a hydrogen peroxide solution is said to have the greatest effect, and the present invention clearly differs from the above proposal because the higher the concentration, the greater the sterilizing power.

In other words, in the present invention, it has been confirmed that the higher the concentration of hydrogen peroxide used, the higher the sterilizing effect.
mm) is significantly easily absorbed by hydrogen peroxide, and at a 35% concentration of hydrogen peroxide, 100μ
Approximately 99% of the ultraviolet rays are absorbed at a thickness of approximately 1 μm and do not reach the surface of the object to be sterilized, but in the present invention, the thickness of the condensed layer is considered to be significantly thinner, approximately 1 μm, and the ultraviolet rays at this time The absorption rate was about 5%, which is thought to be due to efficient ultraviolet rays penetrating the surface of the object to be sterilized.

This is illustrated in FIG. 6, which shows that the thinner the hydrogen peroxide film, the better the transmittance of ultraviolet rays.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively obtain a synergistic effect by using hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet rays in combination, and it is also very easy to decompose and remove condensed hydrogen peroxide, which is effective. Moreover, it is an efficient sterilization method.

In addition, as a sterilizer that condenses an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to form a liquid layer on the object to be sterilized, the
There is a method disclosed in Publication No. 4543, but since this method sterilizes under reduced pressure, it is a batch method and not a continuous flow method like the present invention, so the operation is complicated. cannot be sterilized efficiently. In other words, in order to completely gasify a 35% hydrogen peroxide solution, it must be heated to 127°C or higher, as shown in Figure 1.
To condense it, the temperature must be below 127°C. Furthermore, if vaporization is not instantaneous, decomposition of hydrogen peroxide will be accelerated. Then, by lowering the temperature to 108°C or lower, the concentration returns to 35%. Therefore, if the temperature is 127°C or lower and maintained at 120°C or higher, for example, a hydrogen peroxide condensate with a 63% concentration can be obtained. Since a 63% hydrogen peroxide condensate is constantly obtained while maintaining a temperature of 120°C, it is not possible to continuously remove gases other than hydrogen peroxide using the batch method. In addition, in the case of the above-mentioned publication, saturated steam enters the sterilization chamber under reduced pressure, so the temperature drops due to adiabatic expansion and water droplets are formed immediately, which dilutes the hydrogen peroxide and creates a high concentration of peroxide. Hydrogen cannot be attached to the object to be sterilized. However, since the amount of hydrogen peroxide dropped is not specified, if the amount dropped is large, large particles will be deposited on the surface of the object to be sterilized, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide condensed on the object to be sterilized will be controlled. difficult. Moreover, even if filtered sterile air is sent into the sterilization room, it only works to gasify the hydrogen peroxide deposited on the objects to be sterilized, and does not dry the objects, and it takes several minutes to several hours to complete sterilization. It is something.

Furthermore, the sterilant is atomized to form a mist and mixed with the hot air stream, and the sterilant evaporates such that the fog point of the air mixed with the sterilant is higher than the temperature of the surface to be sterilized. The temperature of the air and the ratio between the amount of sterilant and the amount of air are controlled;
The air mixture is directed to the surface to be sterilized, cooling the air mixture so that the sterilizing agent can condense in an even layer on the surface and react over a specified period of time, and then the sterilizing agent is removed again. A method of sterilizing objects using a liquid sterilant, which is characterized by
As disclosed in Publication No. 9163, in this invention, the amount of heat required to vaporize hydrogen peroxide is obtained from heated air, and the specific heat of the air is approximately 0.24 kcal/Kg. ℃, so in order to vaporize a large amount of hydrogen peroxide, either a large amount of air or air at a fairly high temperature is required, both of which have their own problems. In other words, with a large amount of air, the mixed gas becomes diluted and the dew point falls, making it difficult for condensation to occur and efficient condensation.When the amount of air increases, the flow rate also increases, making it difficult to create a mixing chamber for sufficient vaporization. Problems may also arise, such as an increase in size or the discharge of most of the air-fuel mixture without being condensed. Furthermore, thermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide may occur in high temperature air.

In the present invention, in order to solve this problem, most of the heat source for vaporization is supplied from the evaporation surface, and this is transported using the minimum amount of transport air necessary for transport, thereby preventing dilution of the mixed gas. It also suppresses the thermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide caused by high temperatures.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, the gasified hydrogen peroxide gas is applied to the packaging material surface with a particle size smaller than that of the atomized spray, and moreover, it is kept in a highly concentrated state due to the condensation process. Since it is applied in a concentrated manner, the sterilizing power is increased, and therefore the amount of hydrogen peroxide consumed is small, and only the required amount can be applied to the packaging surface.
Drying time can be shortened. In any case, the present invention is capable of high-concentration sterilization by condensing hydrogen peroxide gas at an early stage, and the highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution forms a thin film that adheres to the surface of the packaging material and sterilizes it. You can increase the effect.

That is, by completing the vaporization-condensation process, it is possible to condense hydrogen peroxide on the object to be sterilized at a concentration higher than that of the hydrogen peroxide solution used, and furthermore, the amount of condensation can be controlled by conveying air, etc. Furthermore, by transporting with the minimum amount of transport air necessary for transport, dilution of the mixed gas can be prevented, and when hydrogen peroxide is vaporized, the temperature of the evaporation surface is maintained in a state with the least amount of decomposition, resulting in a shorter evaporation time. It is expected that the vaporization conditions will be optimized to minimize the decomposition rate, and by using UV irradiation in combination, a thin hydrogen peroxide film will be formed, resulting in high permeability and increased bactericidal power.

Since the device does not use a spray nozzle, there is no need for a pressurizing device for hydrogen peroxide, and there is no need for a spray chamber, which simplifies the entire device and eliminates process problems such as nozzle clogging and spray hunting. No trouble.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows the evaporation characteristics of hydrogen peroxide and the hydrogen peroxide gas composition curve generated at that time, Figures 2 and 3 show different examples of hydrogen peroxide generators, and Figure 4 shows the hydrogen peroxide generator using the same device. Aseptic filling and packaging machine, No. 5
The figure shows the relationship between evaporation surface temperature and evaporation time.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of the hydrogen peroxide film and the transmittance of ultraviolet rays. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Chemical solution tank, 2... Metering pump, 3... Dripping nozzle, 4... Sterile air pipe for transportation, 5... Air heater, 6... Air outlet, 7... Heat source block, 8... Heat transfer body block, 9... stainless wire mesh,
10... Vaporization chamber, 11... Filter, 12
...Guidance tube, 13...Heating source for guide tube, 14...Hydrogen peroxide gas outlet, 16...Insulating material, 17...Fin for promoting vaporization.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A hydrogen peroxide solution of a size that can instantaneously vaporize and drop a hydrogen peroxide solution toward the evaporation surface of a heating element heated to a temperature of 130°C to 180°C during vaporization of hydrogen peroxide. Preferably, the hydrogen peroxide gas is dropped in the form of droplets with a diameter of 1 to 3 mm and vaporized, and the hydrogen peroxide gas thus generated is heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the temperature of the evaporation surface. Similarly, air is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized while maintaining the vaporization temperature through a guide tube heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature, and condensed on the surface of the object to be sterilized. A sterilization method characterized by removing hydrogen peroxide with hot air after sterilization. 2. When vaporizing hydrogen peroxide, place it toward the evaporation surface of the heating element heated to a temperature of 130°C to 180°C, and use a container that is large enough to instantly vaporize hydrogen peroxide solution and drop it, preferably 1 to 3 mm in diameter. The hydrogen peroxide gas generated in this way is heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the temperature of the evaporation surface with conveying air heated to the same temperature as the evaporation surface. is guided to the surface of the object to be sterilized while maintaining its vaporization temperature through a guide tube heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than that of A sterilization method characterized by sterilizing by irradiating ultraviolet rays and then removing hydrogen peroxide with hot air. 3 A hydrogen peroxide liquid quantitative supply device, a heating element having an evaporation surface heated to a temperature that minimizes decomposition during vaporization of hydrogen peroxide, and a heating element capable of instantaneously vaporizing the hydrogen peroxide liquid when facing the evaporation surface. A dropping device that makes droplets drop in the form of large droplets that can be dropped, and a conveyor that supplies conveying air heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the evaporating surface temperature toward the evaporating surface. Consists of an air supply device and an induction device heated to a temperature approximately equal to or higher than the evaporation surface temperature, which guides vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas onto the surface of the object to be sterilized while maintaining the vaporization temperature. Hydrogen peroxide gas generator.